How do animals keep track of where they are?

A stable sense of direction is the basis of many navigational strategies.

Recent work has uncovered circuits that maintain an internal compass, but the mechanisms by which this neural compass is constructed from sensory input in an ever-changing world are still mysterious.

How do animals choose appropriate navigational strategies?

Depending on the environmental conditions, animals may not always have access to a reliable cue for orientation. We study what happens when and how insects switch strategies under conditions where their head direction system (their neural compass) fails.

Linking neural circuits to ethological relevant behavior

We study navigational strategies in both ants and flies (see below) in the context of dispersal and foraging. We study the behavior both in the laboratory, where we have precise control over the experimental conditions, and in the field, where we can more directly link our findings to the ecology of the animals.